Solar cells are well known devices for converting solar radiation to electrical energy. They can be fabricated on a semiconductor wafer using semiconductor processing technology. A solar cell includes P-type and N-type diffusion regions. Solar radiation impinging on the solar cell creates electrons and holes that migrate to the diffusion regions, thereby creating voltage differentials between the diffusion regions. In a backside contact solar cell, both the diffusion regions and the metal contact fingers coupled to them are on the backside of the solar cell. The contact fingers allow an external electrical circuit to be coupled to and be powered by the solar cell.
Techniques for improving contact formation and plating metal to a solar cell during manufacturing are very beneficial as these are an intrinsic part of the standard solar cell fabrication process. Such improved techniques may reduce fabrication operations and improve overall output yield, decreasing overall solar cell manufacturing time and increasing the available product yield due to less handling.